Pokemon Radiance
by Reptro
Summary: Johto isn't an average summer for 18-year-old Damien Volters, a first year student at Vermillion City University who seeks to become a field researcher. Above all else, Damien aspires to do what no trainer has ever done before: challenge Zapdos, the mythical bird of thunder. Can he and his friends overcome foes that will push them beyond their limitations? Clean adventure story!
1. A Summer Vacation in Johto!

Past midnight, a pitch darkness covered the sky like a veil.

Damien cracked the window to his cabin room open, choosing to let the ocean breeze into his window.

_ Nothing like a cool breeze and a full moon_, he thought. _Too bad the stars aren't out tonight.__  
_

He laid silently on his bed, his fingers fiddling with a small remote. The dim illumination in the room faded out, and Damien let out a deep sigh as he put the small remote to the side.

Damien gazed at the unlocked door, staring as it crept open. "Hey, you're back already, Magnemite?" The creature hovered on to Damien's lap and sat down. _Of course Magnemite wouldn't miss Professor Oak's Pokémon Talk._

"Magnemite!"

Damien caressed the screw on top of Magnemite with great care. "Remind me to polish off your metal coat and magnets, buddy."

As a familiar jingle went off on the compact radio beside him, Damien turned up the dial, waiting for Magnemite's approval. "Tonight's the big episode, and it's live! Can you hear it good enough, Magnemite?"

"Mite!"

* * *

**"And now we return to _Professor Oak's Pokémon Talk, _only on _Johto 4.5_, with your hosts D.J Mary and Professor Samuel Oak! Before the break, we were having a little chat about Zapdos. Can you give our viewers here in Johto some detail on Zapdos, Professor?"****  
**

**"Well Mary, Zapdos is an extremely rare Pokémon known commonly as one of the three legendary birds of Kanto. These three Pokémon have been around for perhaps thousands of years according to ancient scriptures."**

**"How could you be sure this Zapdos exists?" **

**"We cannot be truly certain, but we cannot ignore the similarities in description from eyewitness accounts."**

**"Can you give the viewers an example of some of the physical descriptions, Professor?"**

**"People have ****unanimously** described the Pokémon as a bird bearing pointed yellow feathers with black streaks. Many have also described speeds two or three times that of an Arcanine, and power capable of short-circuiting entire cities!"

**"That's absolutely astounding, Professor! Viewer mail-ins from Violet City have given very similar descriptions to the one you just gave!"**

**"Is that so, young lady?"**

**"Yes! Ohh, this is sending chills down my spine faster than Gengar's Scary Face..."**

* * *

The radio continued to spew out static noises, and Damien attempted to fix it, but to no avail. "Aw man, they were just getting to the good part!" After closing the door to his room and shutting the window, Damien rested on his pillow once more. _Guess I'm downloading the podcast later._

Magnemite lingered around the radio, emitting small electric sparks in hopes of repairing the radio. "Mite." After circling around, the Pokémon sat down on Damien's lap once more.

Damien smiled. "You know that never works, Magnemite. The last time you did that to a radio that didn't belong to us, the dorm master made us clean dishes for a month."

Magnemite circled frantically at the thought of Damien scrubbing the plates of college students for a month. "Mite!"

"You know, it _was_ pretty terrifying," said Damien. "But it was either _then _or during freshman initiation at the dorm."

"Mag-ne-mite," Magnemite nodded.

Damien yawned. "Let's get some shut eye anyway. This ship is supposed to land by sun break." _  
_

"Mite."

"Unfortunately, even _we _have to sleep."

"Magnemite."

"Zapdos, we're coming for you," Damien whispered as he crawled off into deep sleep.

* * *

The young boy stretched his face with his hands. _Got to make it to the living room television, _he thought. He looked left and right, hoping he could make it before anyone else woke up. _Looks like the coast is clear-_

"So he's coming to New Bark Town to meet Professor Elm! How Lovely!"

_When did mom start waking up so early?! _His palms sweating, the boy tip-toed across the kitchen. _She's turned around. If I can make it to the counter, mission accomplished-_

"Simon, go back to bed," his mother ordered, breaking away from her phone conversation and turning to face her son.

Simon clenched his fists, his feet braced for the worst. "Mom, I'm 12! I wanna watch the Pokédex Show!"

"Oh please get just a few more hours of rest, honey. You'll never get any taller!"

_I guess a few more hours wouldn't hurt, _he thought._ And the radio broadcast is on until 10 anyway. _"Fine mom, I'll sleep. But uh-"

His mom smiled, phone by her ear. "So he's coming at 6? I can't wait to see how my nephew has grown up over the years! Alright, we'll talk later." She put the phone down, as giddy as a rapidash on a wide open plain._  
_

_Her nephew? _Simon sat down on the kitchen counter, intent on knowing more. "who's coming?"

"Your cousin Damien is coming to town to meet Professor Elm!" his mom responded, not seeming the least bit exhausted.

Simon stared at his mom blankly. "Who?"

"Ah, you probably don't remember him because the last time he came, you were just a toddler in diapers and making-"

"Too much detail, mom!" Simon blushed. "I guess I'm off to bed then for a couple hours."

"Good night, sweetie!"

* * *

Damien stretched forward, Magnemite by his side. "Good morning, New Bark Town!" Unable to wait any longer, Damien went straight to the laboratory from the town port. _This town isn't that big, but it's a good thing I decided to pack in these new runners into my bag, _he thought. _  
_

Spotting Elm's laboratory did not pose a challenge for Damien, especially when _every_ other building in town only housed ground floors. He approached the lab without hesitation, having learned many things about the famous "Pokemon Egg" researcher Professor Elm from his Professors. "As clumsy as everyone claims he is, I've heard he's a workaholic and a light sleeper like us."

Magnemite levitated around the house, looking at Damien's new workplace. "Magnemite!"

Damien smiled. "Well, let's ring the doorbell-"

The door sprang open in a haste, and out came a large box being held by a pair of shaking palms. "Oh pardon me! I-umm-let me just put this down."

"Uh, sure," replied Damien. "Let me help you with that."

Taking the box off the man's hands blinded Damien from head to toe, and he couldn't see the person in front in him. "Sorry, let me just put this down."

"Oh-uh-yeah just put that down kind sir. Kind of an important package."

Damien set down to the package to the side, and looked up at wide eyes. Immediately, he recognized the stranger. "Brown eyes, spiky brown hair, and papers flying all over the place. Are you Professor Elm?"

Magnemite circled wildly around Damien after catching a glimpse of the stammering adult male. "Mite Mag-ne-mite!"

The man smiled, straightening the papers in the front pocket of his white coat. "Your Magnemite seems-uh-a bit jumpy, young man!"

Damien grinned. "Yeah, that's how Magnemite greets people he likes."

"Well-uh-if you're looking for Elm, you've found him! I see-uh-Professor Sycamore has cut my descriptions down to a tee."

"I think he does that to everyone. He's cut my nicknames down to brown eyes, messy brown hair, and Team Electabuzz worshiper."

"Mite."

Elm laughed. "That about sounds right. Come inside, I'll give you a little run down, and then you can go and get some sleep at your Aunt's!"

_Aunt Sarah already knows? Gram sure doesn't waste any time._

Damien and Magnemite followed Elm's lead and went through the door and into the laboratory, a rather unorganized and messy place.

"Even though you're going to be out in the field and traveling around Johto very often, you'll have to do clean up duty like the rest of us!" Elm explained as he formed a path to the stairwell at the back of the lab as if cutting through trees like scyther in jungles."The papers are getting a bit overwhelming."

"Mag-ne-mite."

"You said it, buddy."

The three climbed up the stairs, arriving at a place just as messy, but without any lab equipment.

Elm motioned his hand toward a round table in the center of the room, and Damien sat down as Magnemite hovered above. The Professor took a seat across from him, and let out a deep sigh.

"Boy, am I going to get lost in there some day," Elm said, "let's get that cleaned soon."

"You sure have a lot of furniture up here, Professor Elm. Do you live here?"

Elm laughed. "Uh-my work _is _my life. But let's talk about you and track record! So far, I know your name is Damien Volters, you're 18 and are a first year at Vermillion City State University. Is that-uh-true?"

Damien nodded. "Yeah." He took a deep breath. _Keep your cool, _he thought. _Let's not make him any more nervous than he already is, Damien! _

"You're studying-umm-Electrical Engineering, but Professor Sycamore has told me about how what you really want is to be a field researcher. Why did you want this job in particular?"

_Do I tell him straight, I mean it's not my only reason, but I have to tell him!_

"I want to get out there and apply my skills to further our knowledge of the many different species that do not exist beyond claims and bring them to light with the scientific method!" _Real smooth, Damien. Well I guess it's pretty much the truth out of context. _

"Mite."

For a moment, Elm sat quietly, twiddling his thumbs and looking blankly at Damien. Suddenly, he started laughing. "Uh wow, you sure studied for this interview! Sorry, I'm not really a good interviewer or a mentor. You must be pretty nervous over this whole thing."

Damien grinned. "A little. You seem like a pretty cool guy though, and pretty young for a Professor."

"Well thanks, and I _am_ young! But what about you, Mr. 18 and kicking?"

Magnemite circled around Damien, clearly musing over Elm's words. "Mag-ne-mite!"

"How about I put you work on your first job right away? Once you get the whole ordeal out of the way, you'll be good to go!"

_I don't know what he means by ordeal. He's already sending me out to the field, and that means no cleanup duty! _

"Umm, you in there?" Elm asked.

"That'd be awesome!" exclaimed Damien suddenly, a grin on his face. _I wonder what Pokemon I'm going to be researching for my first day of field._

* * *

Damien groaned, his hands shaking. "A package? It's only day one and I'm doing menial labor?" The morning sun shone bright and hot in the sky, enough to give anyone regrets about not wearing shorts-and packing on a thick hoodie.

"Mite."

"Yeah," Damien said, "still a bit scary thinking about cleaning up the lab." He continued walking down the road, seeing very few people throughout the dirt road. _It's like a Gengar Town out here even past 10! Well, it __is Saturday. _

Magnemite hovered close to Damien, blinking several times. "Mite?"

Damien grinned. "You mean why are we going to Aunt Sarah's house? She has Elm's cart, and I think we should probably get freshened up before we head out."

The Pokemon wandered in front of Damien. "Mag-ne-mite."

"How would _I _know what she's been up to with Elm's dolly cart?" replied Damien, rolling his eyes. _Boy, it's been nearly 9 years now since I last visited Aunt Sarah, _he thought. _I wonder how much baby Simon has grown up?_

The two passed the other homes in New Bark Town in a matter of minutes, and in short time arrived on Aunt Sarah's block, a beautiful area facing the port.

"Looks like the _S.S Martha _has already passed," said Damien, "I think I see Aunt Sarah's house down the block."

"Magnemite!"

Damien and Magnemite soon arrived at Aunt Sarah's home as indicated by the colorful engraving on the one-story home's mailbox reading "The Cedrus Home". As he went to knock on the door, it creaked open, and he soon found himself breathing for dear life in his aunt's Kingler-like grip.

She giggled, tears falling down her cheeks. "Damien honey! You've gotten so tall, and your little blue hoodie-_Vermillion City_ State-so cute!"

"Yeah, I can't-"

"Look at your soft brown hair! It's so messy, here let me-"

"Can't breathe-"

She let go of Damien, letting him catch his breath. "Oh sorry!"

Magnemite hovered around Aunt Sarah, as active as ever. "Mag-ne-mite!"

Aunt Sarah laughed, caressing Magnemite's screw."We rarely ever see Electric type Pokemon like Magnemite around New Bark Town! How did you meet this cutey?"

Damien scratched his head. "Uh-It's kind of a long story."

As soon as the three entered the house, Damien took up refuge on the couch in the living room, Magnemite sitting on his lap. Aunt Sarah went into the kitchen room, singing happily above the noise of plates. _She's still as cheery as ever_, Damien thought. "Yo Aunt Sarah? Where's Simon?"

"Well he left to go play on the forest near Route 29 with his Chikorita," she explained. "Sometimes I worry!"

Damien smirked. "Baby Simon already has a Pokemon!" _  
_

"_Baby Simon _got his trainer license two years ago!"

"Why don't you go get him? It's only about a half hour across town!"

"Okay, let's go say hi, Magnemite!"_  
_

"Mite!"

"Wait don't you-" but Damien and Magnemite were already gone, without so much as a cloud of dust left behind.

Aunt Sarah resumed her dish cleaning. "Still unable to sit in one place-as usual."


	2. Lost Packages and a Pokémon Ranger!

Simon stumbled up the dirt path of Route 29, his arms gripping his Pokémon tightly. "We _are _going the right way, aren't we, Chikorita?" He let Chikorita fall out of his sweat-ridden grasp and twiddled with his fingers, looking around aimlessly. "Who would have guessed they would go this all out for a game of hide n seek?"

"Chiko!" said Chikorita, head turned toward a fallen tree situated above a roaring ravine. Simon shook his head, and took Chikorita in his arms.

"I don't think they're that way," he exclaimed, "and I think that goes double when there's storm clouds in the air!"

Chikorita broke away from Simon's grasp, running past several rocks and climbing on to the fallen tree. "Chiko Chikorita!"

Simon groaned, stomping over to Chikorita, who continued scampering from one end of the natural bridge to the other. "Get down before you hurt yourself! That is _not _a stable tree!" He stood in front of the tree, face red and fists clenched. _Chikorita...mom is gonna kill me for going past the ravine, _he thought.

Climbing on to the tree proved to be a difficult task for Simon, his bare hands burning red from coming in contact with old tree bark. "Stay on that side and don't move until I come get you, Chikorita!"

He trudged slowly across the bark, which neither felt heavy nor supportive enough for his body weight. Perhaps it was the quivering of his feet and the blurring of his vision. Loud noise like a falling clan of Geodude rumbled around the trees, rattling Simon's balance. "You better stay _right _there or you won't be messing around with mom's flowers for a _long _time!"

Chikorita frowned, sitting down with a pout. "Chika!"

"It appears we've reached a compromise," Simon smirked, "so here I come-"

Suddenly, a loud clash of lightning rang the sky, catching Simon off guard. "Woah!" He lost his balance, and would have fallen straight into the ravine had his hands not grabbed a thick branch extending from the tree in time. _It's starting to rain. My hands will slip!_

"Chiko Chiko!" Chikorita ran as fast as possible to the other side of the fallen tree bridge, circling around frantically all the while.

"I can't swim!" Simon screamed at the top of his voice. "Please!" At that moment, he felt his hands being pulled up, followed by the rest of his body. Simon's vision remained in a blur, and he could not make out anything but dark clothing.

"Can you get up?" the man asked.

"Uh huh," Simon responded, his vision still muddled with rain drops. _._

"Well, that's a shame."

* * *

Damien shot up from his resting position as a shriek echoing through the forest. "That doesn't sound like it's very far!" _The rain is starting to pick up into a storm,  
_he thought. _And so powerful...so suddenly!__  
_

Magnemite took up a resting position under Damien's hoodie, which he had pulled up earlier. "Mite!"

* * *

Chikorita ran up to Simon and jumped on his lap, licking his face. "Chiko!"

Simon laughed, holding his partner up. "I'm fine, but you gotta listen next time."

"Your Pokémon, give it to me."

"Uh, why?"

The man stood up, a Pokéball by his side. "Because I said so, runt."

Chikorita jumped out of Simon's arms, assuming a firm stance in front of Simon. "Chiko!"

"But...why did you help me then?"

The man remained silent, his face turning red. "I-it's not my position to kill you...just hand me your Pokémon!" He tossed his Pokéball to the ground, splitting the red and white halves free. In a flash of light, a dark blue Pokémon without eyes soared close to the man.

Simon gulped. "A Zubat?" _He has the type advantage!_

"I have the type advantage-"

"Don't read my mind!"

"You're an open book, runt."

"Mind if _I_ cut in?" a voice asked from behind. Simon turned his eyes to a hooded male standing behind the man in the dark clothes. "You're both wrong. _I _have the type advantage."

"Mite!"

The man in the dark uniform laughed, shaking his head rather rapidly. "T-type advantage or not, you can't match up to me." He took several steps back in the direction of the fallen tree.

Simon reached out to Chikorita, holding the Pokémon close to his shivering arms. "Who the heck _are_ you?"

The man smirked and crossed his arms. "Call me Damien."

_That's my cousin Damien? Wow-I don't know what to say. _"Sure thing, Dames." _Yeah that'll work._

Shrugging, he turned his shoulders towards the man in dark clothing. "So I guess you already know what I'm gonna do next."

"Can we just call a truce?!" the man said with a whimper.

"Magnemite, use your-" before Damien could call his attack, a huge rumble awoke the ground, knocking Damien off his feet. "What the heck?!" Another huge rumble followed, crackling through the trees. A white flash as bright as day lit the sky in the moments afterward, making him close his eyes. _What the?!_

Simon put his head and his Pokémon underneath his arms, his body shuddering. "What's going on?!"

Damien slowly opened his eyes, looking all around him when something caught his eye-a shadow on four legs. _What...is that?_ He shot up immediately, squinting his eyes to get a closer look.

Magnemite circled around Damien before climbing into his hood. "Mag-ne-mite!"

A sudden movement of the rocks again dropped Damien to his feet, and another flash of light blinded him. When his eyes opened once more, the silhouette had vanished. He jumped up to his feet, making his way to the young boy and his Chikorita, still face down in the wet dirt. "You okay?"

Simon wiped his face, looking around. "Where did the thief go?"

Turning his head in the nick of time, he watched the man in black get away into the fog past the fallen tree bridge. "We're not done yet!" He dashed across the fallen tree madly, hoping he could still catch the man. _Where did he go? _

"Hey wait, you're not supposed to go past the ravine!" Simon yelled as he stomped over the fallen tree. "Are you trying to get me in trouble?!"

"Chiko!"

Damien sighed, helping Magnemite get under his hood. "Why did you follow me then?"

"It's dangerous and you have no idea what you're doing!"

"That's not for you to say considering _I _saved your skin in the first place-"

Simon rolled his eyes. "Look can we just get out of the rain and back home before we catch colds?"

The storm winds picked up, blowing swiftly in the direction of the two trainers and their Pokémon. Suddenly, a crumbling and splashing noise loud enough came from the ravine, one loud enough to compete with the roar of the large Rock type snake Onix. They turned their heads to watch the dead tree floating away and out of sight. They looked on silently for several moments.

"Mite."

"With a little help from Magnemite-"

"Can we just focus on the issue here?!" Simon yelled, breathing heavily.

"Hey no worries-is there a Pokémon Center nearby?" Damien asked.

"There's the one in Cherrygrove City, which isn't actually more than a mile or two more off from here." Simon returned his Chikorita to the rightful Pokéball, and the two of them set off into a quick run through the forest, following the wooden boards marking the city. _And it's not like mom can kill me for following the only logical option I have right now._

_A heavy rain in the middle of summer?. _Damien smirked, a warm feeling in his stomach. _Can't put my finger on it, but this storm reminds me a lot of Zapdos. We may just have a lead. _"Yeah..."

The two took deep breaths, settling down into a brisk walk. "Hey Dames."

Damien shot out of his daze, glaring at Simon. "Don't make a habit of calling me that," he said.

"Do you know Sarah Cedrus?" Simon questioned.

"Yeah? She's my aunt."

"Then _you're _my cousin."

"Oh okay I-_wha?_" Damien slowed his pace, staring very intently at Simon, terrifying the boy. "You're Simon?"

Magnemite joined into the stare. "Mag-_ne_-mite?"

Simon gulped. "Yeah?"

Damien put his finger up. "But you're so-"

* * *

"Tiny, Yang?! You couldn't get that rare Pokémon because of a tiny runt and his teenage sidekick?!" She slapped him on the top of his head.

Yang groaned, rubbing his head. "Yin, he had the _field _advantage."

"What does that even mean?"

"Well, it _is _raining outside of this cave."

Yin scoffed. "And?"

_She really doesn't see it? Hothead as usual. _"Water conducts electricity?" Yang took a towel, wiping off his hair. "Man I really need a haircut before people start calling me a hobo." He reached into his container, gulping down water.

Yin sat silently, thinking his words through. "Looks like both of us will have to step in then."

Yang sipped quietly. "Why should we dirty our hands? Let's send in some grunts to do the work and see how they handle the heat."

"It'd be major overkill," Yin smirked, "and that'd be no fun."

"Well then, I'm going to get that haircut."

* * *

"We _really _need a change of clothes before we catch something," said Simon. He wiped his face and hair with a towel and placed another underneath the sofa he sat on. "This Pokémon Center is a comfy little place-" He turned his head to Damien. His eyes were closed. _Sleeping already? _

Damien opened his eyes, looking blankly at Simon. "Hey, I can feel it when people at staring at me when my eyes are closed."

Simon yelped. "Uh, sorry."

"No worries, Cuz. Besides, I don't really sleep cause of Magnemite."

"Magnemite," agreed the Pokémon.

"Is there anything else you guys need?" a lively lady in a nurse's uniform asked. "Chansey and I were not expecting it to rain like this today!"

Damien jumped up. "Nurse Joy? Aren't you supposed to be in Vermillion City?"

"Don't you know anything about Nurse Joy's family?" Simon groaned.

"I'd rather not ask right now...besides, I have another question."

Nurse Joy smiled. "How may I help you?"

Damien grinned, his cheeks red as a Charmander's flame. "Is pink your natural hair color?"

The kind nurse sweat-dropped. "Uh..."

Simon grabbed Damien by his ear, pulling him out of the lobby. "Let's just get a room and dry up!"

Damien stopped, laughing. "Wait. Let's tell Aunt Sarah what's going on. It's way past noon." Simon continued on as Damien ran past the lobby into a room with several squared booths, each lined with phones connected to screens. _Oh shoot, the package!_

Magnemite remained in the phone room, confused. "Mite?"

Damien rushed out the phone room door. _I can't believe the package totally slipped my mind, _he thought. _Better today than tomorrow! _He shifted his eyes back to in front of him, coming to an abrupt stop when he saw two hands carrying a package. "Hey, my-" before he could finish, he lost his balance, crashing head first into the package and sending the contents flying. "Ow!"

"Kya!" the woman squealed, walking around the package. "Watch it!"

"Oh, sorry dude-uh-dudette," Damien quickly replied. "Could you help me?"

"With what?"

"Uh-it's dark and I can't see under this pink fabric."

"Pink fabric? I..."

Damien moved his head around, unable to see. "Please, what is it?" He felt a hard slap across his cheek as the pink cloth flew off of his head. There was a girl with brown hair up to her shoulders with her hand raised past her shoulder. "What was that for?!"

"That's what you get for putting my underwear on my head, pervert!" the girl yelled.

"Why was your underwear on my head?" Damien shot back. She slapped him across the face again. "Hey quit it!"

"Because you put it there!"

"No, _you _bumped into me while I was running through the lobby to find my-" Damien put his palm on his head. _I just remembered I never took the package from Aunt Sarah's for starters. Ah well._

Damien got up, helping her put the rest of her various items back into her box. "Listen, I'm really sorry for bumping into you, but the whole 'underpants' was unintentional!" _I didn't even get a good look anyway. _

She sighed. "Well, I guess you didn't really mean to do it."

"Do you have a name?"

"Yeah, call me Alexis," she said, standing tall, "Alexis Mistral from the Hoenn region, Rookie Ranger at your service!"

"You're pretty open, Alexis," Damien commented, rubbing his cheek.

Alexis frowned, looking at his cheek. "Sorry, does it still hurt? I didn't mean-"

"Hey, you missed one," Damien cut, picking up pink fabric laying on the floor. She slapped him across the head, making him grab his cheek in pain. "Hey!" _She really needs to invest in briefs. _

* * *

Alexis broke into a laughter after listening to Damien and Simon's tale. "You mean you actually made a name for that? _Field advantage?_" She continued laughing uncontrollably.

Magnemite circled around her wildly. "Mag-ne-mite!"

Damien scowled. "Well, it scared him off!"

"But anyway, you want to be a traveling field researcher for Professor Elm?!" Alexis asked.

"It's the _only _way I'll be able to get out and..." _Say nothing about Zapdos or she'll think you're crazy! _"...and see the world."

She smiled at the response. "I want to do that too. That's why I want to become a _Top Ranger_ one day!"

Noticing her constantly fiddling with a blue object resembling a spinning top and a red object resembling a phone, Simon's curiosity peaked. "Is that a capture styler? I don't think I've ever seen one for real!"

"Yeah, how did you know such a thing, kid?!" Alexis shot up. "Are you from Hoenn?!"

"I'm from here," responded Simon. "Don't call me kid or we're gonna have a problem. I'm _12_."

"Okay, you got it, runt."

Suddenly, Damien's Pokégear phone device begin to ring loudly in his pocket, prompting him to pick it up. _Professor Elm must be worried._ He hit the green button on the phone, putting it by his ear. "Hello?"

"Ah-uh-Damien, good to hear from you!" Professor Elm said over the phone. "I hear you've been having one heck of a first day."

_You have no idea. Aunt Sarah may just kill me by morning though. _"It's been same old. Simon's okay too if Aunt Sarah is wondering."

"Uh-well that's good."

"I need to ask you a few questions about the storm-"

"Could you-uh-save the questions? I'm in a bit of a predicament!" Professor Elm interrupted.

"So Aunt Sarah isn't involved in on this?" Damien asked, showing Simon a thumbs up, the latter replying with a smile. Alexis raised an eyebrow, watching the two trade expressions.

"No, it's about Simon's friends _and _my rare Pokémon," Elm said, taking a deep sigh over the phone line. "I'm in a real mess, Damien."


	3. Bolt of Destiny!

"What does he mean my friends let Totodile and Cyndaquil out and now they're all lost?" Simon panted out while running, his fists clenched. _Man, now mom is really gonna kill me when they tell the truth. _

Damien gathered up the energy to let out a chuckle as he trailed the other two. "Well, it..._is _what it is, isn't it?"

Alexis scratched her head, then proceeded to hasten her pace. "I'm gonna look a little further ahead!"

"Hold...on," Simon huffed as he came to a stop, prompting the others to stop as well. "You don't even know where they are!"

"He's right," said Damien, turning his attention to his cousin. "Simon is the one who knows his friends the best."

"Magnemite," the Pokémon added, hovering around the three.

"_Fine. _Brief me in, kiddo!"

"First off, don't call me _kiddo_." _Simon_ stretched his long sleeve t shirt out underneath him and sat on a stump. "And based on the fact that it rained...Sally is hiding in a stump, Al is probably giggling behind a bush, Ted is in the first cave near town, Kris is a bit of a lose gun but..."

Damien listened as best as he could, but his concentration couldn't help but wonder off. _Man, I wonder if Aunt Sarah is cooking my favorite dish, B-alright, focus on what's important, Damien. __But still..._

Alexis crossed her arms and began to scan her environment. _Big forest...lots of logs and shrubs...cascades of water can be heard nearby...weather is cleared up, but winds are still strong and-good golly, is that a Pidgeotto?! No wait that-_

_"_And finally, I think Jane has already wandered home," Simon finished, opening his eyes. He sweat-dropped when the response consisted of two blank glares and a circling Pokémon.

At that moment, Damien's Pokégear vibrated in his pocket. He reached out for it, and looked at the screen silently before smiling. "All of Simon's friends are accounted for."

Simon dropped his head below his shoulders. "Why do I even bother?"

"You're surrounded!" a voice shouted from above. At that moment, three men wired by cables lowered down from the trees above, holding Pokéballs in their hand.

Alexis groaned. "Great, now what?" She turned her head to Simon and Damien, prompting them to return shrugs.

"These guys look like trouble," Damien warned, "what do you guys want?"

One of the men in black stepped forward, his face darkened by his black beret. "Well as you can probably tell from the big R on our uniforms, we're here to kill you, steal your Pokémon, and then find those rare gems from Elm's lab."

"Actually, I'm still trying to figure out that R," Alexis added while zoning off into space.

Damien stepped forward, cracking his knuckles and stomping his feet. "If that R means what I think it does, then I'd like to send out a message on behalf of Kanto's citizens." _Not this time, and not again. _"Alexis...Simon...go now."

The grunts muttered among themselves while looking back at Damien and immediately turning their heads away.

"Let's go find the kids," Simon whispered frantically into Alexis' ear. Alexis gave a quick nod, and the two splashed through the dirt and broke past the distracted grunts, heading into the deeper forest. _I think Dames scares me more than the grunts! _

The grunts tried to give chase, yelling out after them, but the one who had been conversing with Damien put his hand out. "They're walking right into a set up." The grunts began to laugh, sending out their Pokémon, two Zubat and a Rattata. The Pokémon stepped in front of their owners, clearly ready to battle.

Damien raised an eyebrow, then broke out into a gleeful laugh, holding on to his stomach and falling on to his knees.

"What's so funny?!"

"You guys are real sheep," Damien said, the smirk vanishing from his face. _The way that girl hits, they're the ones who've been set up. _He glared fiercely at them. "Walk away _now_."

"Don't just stand there! Attack!" Several more grunts and their Pokémon-Rattata and Zubat in huge numbers-came charging out into open ground.

"Magnemite!" Magnemite lingered in front of Damien, ready to battle.

"I've got a message for your boss then!" Damien yelled. "Thundershock!" Magnemite shot forward, releasing a wave of electricity at several of the grunts and their Pokémon. The grunts backed off, letting their Pokémon charge into the fray. The Electric Pokémon emitted another Thundershock attack, just as powerful as the other one, knocking a few of the Zubat and Rattata backwards and setting back several more. _Their Pokémon are incredibly weak...but they just keep coming back for more! More target practice!_

Damien kept his eyes on the Team Rocket grunts, but his eyes could not help but divert to other places. _Curse my attention span, man. Wait-what the? _He looked up as often as he could, and eventually could not take his eyes off of a creature with light blue scales and yellow stripes waddling down the tree above him in "sore thumb" fashion. _  
_

"Toto Toto!" The creature cried, a noise which only seemed as obvious as Sunny Day to Damien's larger-than-life ears.

"Attack!"

_Stay up_, Damien wanted to mouth. His arms freely swiping in the direction of the tree trunk that only slighted avoided the battleground to the right.

"Rattata!"

"Scree!"

"Thundershock," Damien quickly ordered. Magnemite continued its barrage of electric power on the Rocket grunts, whose Pokémon would not relent due to the whips held by their masters. _  
_

* * *

Alexis and Simon continued running through the forest, staying near the soaked dirt path to ensure they would not lose sight of the road as the sun began to set.

The two of them came to a stop, out of breath and tired. Simon took out his Pokégear and pressed several buttons. "I have a map feature that should tell us exactly where we are right now." He inspected the map on the screen, and let out a deep sigh. "We're not too far from the ravine that cuts off New Bark Town from Cherrygrove City."

Alexis paced back and forth, tapping her feet all the while. "How does that help us find Cyndaquil and Totodile?!"

Simon gulped. "It...doesn't. But maybe if we-" he stopped when he heard a squeaky cry coming from the rocky formation behind them.

"Okay, we need something that will _actually _help us, kid!" Alexis said, her tone jittery and her face red from lack of oxygen. "We need to-"

"Quil!"

"Uh, Alexis?"

"I am _trying _to talk to you here! Let me finish ranting here!"

"Quil!"

"But-"

"But nothing! I think I'm just going to explode if I don't get to have my first assignment as a top ranger, and mark my words-I _will _have my first..."

"Cyndaquil!" the voice shrieked loud enough to garner the attention of the two. They turned their heads upwards in the direction of the cry, and saw a Pokémon, a small flame behind the creature illuminating the surrounding area.

Simon shuddered, a cold sweat running down his back, the chill of the evening wind grazing his face with a sting. He turned to Alexis, who to his surprise, looked to be in a very calculating mood. He smirked, nudging her across the shoulder. "You got a plan, don't you?"

She looked at him, a stern look still planted on her face, and took a deep sigh. "...Yeah, I got nothing yet." She shrugged, and Simon fell over.

"Okay, do you have _any _Pokémon that could fly or climb up to that cliff?" Simon asked.

"Quil!" Cyndaquil cried out again. The light of Cyndaquil illuminated the air more and more as the sun fell behind the mountains.

"Get them now!" two Team Rocket grunts and their Pokémon came charging out into the open ground by the cliff, a koffing and a grimer leading the fray.

"Kecleon, Thunderbolt!" Alexis said, throwing a Pokéball to the ground. A flash of lightning shot through the air as the Pokéball opened and hit Koffing and Grimer on target, making the two Pokémon flinch and the grunts fall on to their feet.

"Kec-LEON!"

"Kec, what?" He blinked and continued to stare at the green creature. _What is that thing? __  
_

"Hey snap out of it!" Alexis grabbed his shoulders. "I have a plan, but I need you to hold them off while I use my capture styler on that Pidgey." She motioned her head in the direction of a flock of the bird Pokémon perched on the sole tree behind them. _That's not more than a few feet._

Simon nodded, looking at the Pokéball in his hand. "I kind of have an idea of what you want to do." He gulped, his free hand balled into a fist. _Well here it goes...my first real battle!_ "Chikorita, Tackle!" The Pokéball opened, and in a flash of light, Chikorita was rushing into the open grass field for battle.

"Chiko!"

Alexis made a break for the tree, jumping on to the bark and latching her hand on to one of the branches. _Alright, I'm going to have to hope this kid is at least better than the average Slakoth_.

"Hey! Koffing, Sludge Bomb!" Koffing slugged a purple projectile at Chikorita, hitting the Pokémon across the face and knocking it backwards.

"Uh, Razor Leaf!" Simon ordered, but Chikorita was slow to get up from the attack, and struggled to get up. _That hit must have dealt more damage than I thought._

"Grimer, aim at the tree!"

Alexis grunted, climbing up the tree. "Thunderbolt on Grimer, Kecleon!" Kecleon planted both feet on to the ground and fired another wave of electricity on to Grimer, the attack pushing Grimer back several paces. _Almost there. Stay right there, Pidgey!_

"Koffing, Light Screen!" Koffing closed both eyes and levitated a step closer, generating a square field with a yellowish hue in front of the electric attack. The Thunderbolt hit Koffing, but the Pokémon did not seem at all fazed save for a squinting of the eye.

Making her move, Alexis jumped on to the thick branch, and with a circular motion of the capture styler, managed to generate several white lines around one of the Pidgey.

"Grimer, I don't care what that is! Sludge Bomb now!" Grimer shot yet another purple ball at Alexis, but the attack was intercepted in mid air by several sharp leaves. The grunt and his Pokémon turned their shoulders towards Simon and Chikorita.

Simon grinned. "Good shot! Now, Alexis!"

The white lines surrounding Pidgey emitted one last glow and disappeared, and the Pokémon remained perched on the branch without much motion. Alexis held her capture styler in her hand, fingers crossed. "Pidgey, I need you to get Cyndaquil down from the tree. Can you do that?"

Pidgey nodded, and began the ascent to Cyndaquil, a move which received a fist in the air from both Simon and Alexis, who lowered down from the tree.

Cyndaquil beamed. "Cynda-_quil_!"

The grunts shook their heads and regained their composure. "Don't just stand there! _Attack_!"

* * *

"Mag-ne-mite," Magnemite said, backing up several feet with Damien.

"Yeah, it's not looking good," Damien gritted his teeth, "but we've come a long way from backing down! Thundershock!"

"Rattata!"

"Scree!"

"He's getting worn down!" the leader ordered. He looked back up with wide eyes and a growing smirk when he laid his eyes on a blue creature dancing freely on a lowered tree branch. "Keep attacking!"

Damien clenched his fists. _Oh man! Nothing ever goes my way, _he thought.

"Toto_dile_!" the Pokémon grinned, spraying water over the grunts and their Pokémon before waddling past the baffled grunts and sitting on Damien's foot.

"Mite."

"Yeah," Damien said, "_wow_."

"Dile!"

Smirking, Damien crossed his eyes and gave the grunts a glare. "Remember that message I said I'd have for your boss?" Magnemite began gathering an electric field around the two magnets attached to its body.

Several of the grunts and their Pokémon whimpered, backing off. The leader fell to his knees. "C-could we get a towel before we surrender, p-please?"

* * *

Alexis waved to Pidgey, pressing several buttons on her capture styler. "You should be free now! Thanks!" Cyndaquil jumped into her arms, cuddling next to her shoulder. "Aren't you just the _cutest_-"

"We got a problem here!" Simon interrupted, still cornered by Grimer and Koffing.

Chikorita struggled up, keeping both eyes focused on the grunts and their Pokémon. "Chiko..."

Suddenly, the ground below cycled wildly, and shook up and down. Rocks fell from the plateau behind Alexis and Simon, both of whom backed away from the formation for safety. The grunts took several steps back.

One of the grunts started to run, the other grunt and the two Pokémon following suit. "Retreat!"

Then, with a ferocious noise, a great sensation of light blinded the sky with white light, forcing eyes shut. From a peek of her squinting eyes, Alexis could see a shot of lightning ring through the evening sky. _I bet I know who did this-_

* * *

"What do you mean it wasn't you?!" Alexis repeatedly Pokéd Damien on the chest, who pushed her back on the shoulder.

"What, and that wasn't _you_?" Damien jumped back. "Simon told me your little green bean can use Thunderbolt! Plus, those grunts ran off before I could blast them!"

Alexis rolled her eyes holding a sleeping Cyndaquil in her arms. "That doesn't mean it was me! All I know is that wasn't natural lightning!"

"Look, Magnemite is not powerful enough to make-uh-tremors of some sort be felt all the way up to Violet City," Elm said, looking at the hovering Pokémon with a half-smile. "Uh, no offense though Magnemite."

"Mite."

Damien turned his head and looked out the window of the lab's 2nd floor, a grand view which overlooked the port of New Bark Town. _Could it be...Zapdos?_

Elm sighed, putting his hand on Damien's shoulder. "There's not enough conclusive evidence to know if it is the doing of a legendary Pokémon like Zapdos."

Freaked out, Damien backed up and took a deep breath, gathering raised eyebrows from Alexis and Elm. "Don't read my mind! Uh, I mean-"

"Damien, I-uh-already talked to Grandma Volters, and she told me what you _really _wanted to do with this job," Elm said in a quiet tone.

"Well, y-yeah." Damien gulped. "I want to find Zapdos and I want to catch Zapdos. Look, you know why I have to do this. We have a score to settle, and if that means turning a myth into reality, then that's what I've gotta do."

Alexis scoffed. "How do you know Zapdos isn't a myth, Geodude head?"

Damien turned to her with a glare. "Because I've seen it with my own two eyes." _I don't know if I wish I had. _

Elm raised an eyebrow and continued gawking at Damien. Then, he broke out into a laugh.

"Well, what's funny about that?"

"You, Damien!" Elm simmered down his laughter and adjusted his spectacles. "You remind me of someone else I know who saw a vision just like you and gathered only laughter from the scientific community."

"Yeah who?"

Elm smiled. "My mentor and colleague, Professor Samuel Oak." Elm walked over to the back of the room and into another room, leaving the other two in complete silence for several moments, then walked out with a red handheld device riddled with multiple buttons. He handed the device to Damien along with a white booklet. "All the instructions on how to use-uh-this Pokédex should be in here.

Damien's face lit up and he grinned, throwing his fist into the air. "Awesome!" Magnemite hovered around Damien and the two of them danced momentarily in a circle. _I'm gonna be a Dex Holder!_

Alexis shook her head and smiled. "Damien Damien _Damien_."

"I have two conditions."

The two of them stopped, looking at the Professor. "Well, I guess I'll do anything at this point."

* * *

The next morning, the two of them set off from Aunt Sarah's house with food and provisions packed neatly into Damien's blue school backpack.

"Come on, it's not _that_ bad, Damien!" said Alexis, trying to cheer him up. "Besides, the Professor let me keep Cyndaquil!"

"Mag-ne-mite."

Damien let out a deep sigh. "Well I _love _the traveling part, and I really enjoy being able to document Johto's Pokémon, but_ gym battles_?" _Well, I mean it could be fun._

Alexis grinned. "Come on! It's actually a brilliant way to get ready to face off against a myth!"

"It's not a myth!"

"Fine, _sorry," _Alexis said. "We're more on the same boat than you think. Maybe I'll tell you sometime."

"Do I have to listen?" Damien laughed, earning a scowl.

The two of them came to a stop when they saw Simon and his Chikorita waiting for them at the end of the town.

"_Simon_?" They both said with blank stares.

Simon laughed. "One and only. I'm coming with you!"

Alexis sighed. "We're dragging a kid along?"

"Not a kid!"

"_Sorry._" Alexis rolled her eyes. _I guess a bad sense of humor runs in the family_, she thought.

Damien grinned, "the more the merrier!" the three of them started on their way out of town and on the way to the first gym in Violet City. "Hey, is it me or is my backpack shaking."

"Probably just you," Alexis and Simon responded.

Unbeknownst to the trio, the sounds of crunching and chewing came from inside the backpack. Then, with eyes looking outside, a blue creature reared its head out of the back pocket to look at the outside world. "Toto Toto_dile_."


	4. The Man Who Saw Zapdos!

Damien laid in the grass and gazed off into the sky with a smile. _Man, I wish days like this would never end_, he thought. _The clouds look like different Pokémon, the trees are teeming with life, and the soft, red-what the heck? _He jumped up when the hand of his new companion shoved him on the shoulders, looking left and right. "Hey, what the?"

"Have you been listening to _anything _I've said over the last five minutes?" Alexis shook her head. "The attention span of a Slakoth, I swear."

"The attention span of a what now?" Simon cut in, Chikorita lying in his arms.

Magnemite circled around Alexis, ascending and descending in a weird manner. She clenched her fist, taking Damien's backpack in her other hand and tossing it at him. "We're out of provisions, Professor Coulomb!"

Damien sighed, scanning the nearby forest and cascades with a quickened pace. "Totodile!" The blue Pokémon jumped out of a bush near the raging source of water, a fish in the creature's mouth. "Put-the Magikarp down."

Totodile frowned, swinging the Magikarp towards the cascade. Damien, Magnemite, and Alexis rushed towards the shrubs and trees.

Simon followed. "Did that Magikarp land in the cascade?"

Alexis took a deep breath, before poking Damien on the chest. "Get him trained!"

"Before you jump to conclusions, let me ask." Damien turned to Totodile. "Did you eat our food?" Totodile nodded. Alexis shoved Damien again, this time into a sign by the cascade.

"What is that?" Simon asked. He moved closer to the sign so he could read it. "_Come listen to the man who saw Zapdos and lived. Come watch Liam Fletcher, the man behind the myth, only at Violet City._"

Damien paced forward with Magnemite by his side. "We're going to Violet City."

_Figures he would want to chase a myth at a stage show. _Alexis sighed, gathering her belongings into her backpack and following the others. _At least there's food in Violet City...food for now._

* * *

"And that, kids, is how me and my Machoke defeated an army of Tauros in battle. Flex those arms for the ladies, Machoke!"

Machoke stretched out in multiple positions, prompting playful screams from the women in the audience. "Ma-choke! Machoke!"

"Tell us the one about Zapdos, Liam!" The crowd responded wildly to the request.

Liam chuckled, strumming the strings on his guitar. "Well, since the troupe has such an audience tonight." He fiddled with his instrument, and cleared his throat. "Lydia, honey, get the Zapdos mask and put it on. The crowd needs visuals."

Lydia climbed onto the stage with a groan, putting the mask on. "Why won't anyone else in the troupe wear it, gramps?"

He kneeled next to her ear. "I sent them out to lunch, honey. Do some improv." Liam cleared his throat again as the audience went silent.

* * *

There _once _was a man who was named Li-am...

That man, oh so brave, I say _I am_..._  
_

He met a great _beast _that hailed from the _east _

And turned to his friend, Monk Li Young the _priest_...

The priest waved a _tale_ of big shiny _scales _and said to Seafoam I must set my _sails_...

So then off I went in search of the _myth _a decade now past on August the _5th...__  
_

Then lightning did _rage_, and a storm did _break_, as the winds picked up and the hull did _shake_.

Soon out of the _clouds_, came a _bird_ with a _swirl_, and took down the vessel right off of its _bow_.

So Machoke and _Li-am_, with pride did they _stand_, and fought with the beast till they stepped on dry_ land_.

But Zapdos fought on, with _power_ so_ frantic_, and hit the friends with lightning so frantic.

But Li-am did _stand_, Poké-ball at _hand, _and took the great creature by a hair on thin _strand__.__  
_

With great respect, he set Zapdos_ free_, and said once again to battle we'll _meet_!

Now brave old _Li-am_, with his strings at _hand_, shall weave his grand tale for life and _firsthand_.

* * *

The crowd clapped and stomped wildly, yelling "encore" repeatedly. Liam wiped his forehead, took a bow, and made his way behind the curtains. "Now we're going to take an intermission," he said, "so stay right out here and enjoy this bright and sunny day!"

Lydia approached behind the elderly man and pressed his shoulders. "Great show, gramps."

Machoke nodded, kneeling near Liam's height and passing him a wooden cane. "Machoke."

"Hopefully we can find some way to bring audience interest in our other stuff."

"Well, they mean something to me."

Lydia and Liam turned their heads to the open area. Lydia crossed her arms. "Who let you people back here? You-"

Liam put his hand up. "It's ok, dear." He smiled. "What brings you children back here?"

"My name is Damien, and this is Alexis and Simon," Damien said, bowing. "Unless we're talking about two of the same creatures here, Zapdos was _not _at the Seafoam islands 10 years ago."

"That's a lie! My gramps took him down and released him a year ago!"

Magnemite circled around Lydia and Liam and turned back to Damien. "Mag-ne-mite."

Damien shook his head. "I mean no disrespect, but it was about 10 years ago to this day that Zapdos-"

Alexis listened on with Simon, sharing chips with the boy. _What are you planning to do, Damien? _

"Zapdos, what? Admit you're lying and admit my gramps is telling the truth!" Lydia yelled, grabbing Damien's arm._ Gramps doesn't make up his stories. _

Liam took her hand away and gave her a glare. He then gazed back at Damien and nodded, his jaw hanging open.

"Look, it's not something I like to talk about." Damien took a deep breath. "My life is my proof that I've seen it. It's been nearly 10."

Liam sat on his chair, his hands resting on his cane. After a brief moment of silence, Liam cleared his throat. "I can't believe Zapdos is not a myth. Is it really shiny and yellow? Did it really strike with-" he simmered down when he looked upon Damien's wooden expression. "Sorry."

Lydia stomped out of the room, slamming through the sound system on her way out. As she passed through the door, several of the troupe members walked in, asking what happened. Liam sighed. "It's a long story, and not one I could write properly without her."

Simon scratched his head. "You mean _she's _the playwright? She's the one who wrote that song?"

"Everything down to the notes on my guitar, little man."

Alexis smiled. "I liked it, but I feel like she's taking it hard because you didn't tell her the truth."

"We've got bigger problems than that," one of the members of the troupe said as he looked out the curtain. They stepped outside. Liam nearly fell backwards when he looked ahead of the stage. "The audience-"

"is gone-"

"like Abra's teleport," Alexis finished with wide eyes, prompting the others to glare at her. "Well, it's a plausible theory!"

Several of the troupe members immediately gathered around the sound system. "You forgot to turn off the stage sound again, Liam," one of them pointed out.

Liam scoffed as the rest of them muttered on. "My own irresponsibility ruins me again, as it has on each of my adventures," he said, looking at his wooden cane. "Well I'm ruined. Pack up."

Damien shot up. "No you're not. We'll put on another act to bring your audiences back!" He and the others put their hands on their chins, sitting in silence. Damien snapped his fingers almost immediately. "It's not what you're selling, it's _how _you sell it."

The elderly man scratched his head. "I-uh-what?"

"He means we'll market some older stories with newer marketing schemes," Alexis added. "We've even got some stories from the other day."

She went over to Liam's ear and whispered. Damien followed and whispered into the man's other ear. Liam chuckled and broke out into a wheezy laugh. "Oh, that's smashingly brilliant! I'll win back my Violet City audience and my little girl's heart!"

Damien put his hand out, followed by the others. "We advertise a show for tomorrow! The grandest of all!" Suddenly, his stomach growled, and the others broke away from his grasp. "We advertise a show for tomorrow _after _dinner." The others nodded and they all proceeded out the door.

* * *

"Can I get you some tea, Lydia?"

"That's fine, Monk Young," Lydia muttered, drawing frantically with a pencil at hand.

"You know, most of your grandfather's stories are real," said the monk, "but somewhere along the line, I told him his poor marketing skills and prop making would hurt him."

Lydia sighed, looking up at Monk Young. "I'm going to make sure gramps wasn't lying about Zapdos." _Who even knows if any of his stories were the truth, she thought. But would a monk lie?_

The monk raised an eyebrow, smiling and sipping his tea. "It's Bellsprout extract, are you sure you don't-"

"I have to run down to the tool shed behind the Monastery, if you don't mind!" Lydia sprinted off, leaving the monk alone in the chamber. He nodded, and resumed his cross-legged position on the floor.

* * *

Yin jumped up. "The man who saw Zapdos?!" She looked at Yang, who sat quietly and gazed at the stars. "Do you know what this means?"

"That a good voice and a good story with bad marketing can still sell?" Yang laughed, receiving a slap across his head. "Well _ow_!"

"It means we have a lead on what is perhaps one of the most legendary and rarely seen creatures in all the world!"

Yang sat up, hands folded. "Or it could just be a fib, like so many other people have claimed since Zapdos was _sighted _in Johto."

Yin scoffed. "We have to get our hands on him and find out what he knows! It's not a coincidence that this guy started running this show not long after Zapdos was spotted in the region!"

Yang thought for a moment, looking up at the starry sky once more before turning back to face Yin's glare. He looked at the flyer depicting Liam Fletcher and his show. "Well I won't claim it's good marketing." _Not if he's going to put a flyer in the middle of an alley._

"Let's go, Yang. We have planning to do."

* * *

Simon laughed, watching as a crowd of trainers gathered around his placed flyers. "This is how you plan and market a show."

Liam chuckled nervously. "But won't these posters ruin the atmosphere for these young trainer kids? And won't they get in the way of the nurses here?"

Nurse Joy passed by, waving her hand. "Oh nonsense!" Liam laughed.

"That's your problem, Mr. Fletcher," said Simon, "you _have _to be aggressive when it comes to advertising. It's all about location, location, location."

"Pretty sure that's real estate, Simon." Damien smiled. _Come to think of it, Liam seems to be having as good a time as the rest of us. With this crowd, I know we'll have enough people for tomorrow's show. _He felt himself being Pokéd across his shoulder, and turned to Alexis.

"Do you _ever _really listen?" Alexis groaned. Magnemite ascended and descended several times while bowing its head. "I take it that's a no, Magnemite."

"Mite."

"Oh be quie-"

Suddenly, a loud noise rang through the sky, loud enough to engage everybody around into mummers and shouts. Trainers, nurses, and townspeople ran out the doors of the Pokémon center among the commotion.

Damien overheard one of the bystanders, and turned to the others.

"Well, what is it?" Alexis yelled, jogging in place.

"Apparently a shot of lightning just came from behind the Bellsprout tower!"

Liam shook his head with wide eyes. "Why it's a clear night, how can-" _Oh no. _


End file.
